The present invention relates generally to devices for restraining milk cows so that they can be milked, and more particularly to an apparatus for automatically confining milk cows and semi-automatically releasing such milk cows when desired.
The normal procedure in a dairy barn is to allow the milk cows to come into the barn at milking time, to restrain them, continue to restrain such cows while they are milked and fed, and then to release the milk cows until the next milking time. One common type of restraining device includes a collar attached around the neck of a milk cow. When the barn door is open, the milk cows will come into the barn and enter separate tie stalls which are comprised basically of a place for a cow to stand to be milked and having a partition means on the front thereof for separating it from a feed bunk, and having an access opening for allowing the head and neck of the cow to pass through from the milking pad to the feed bunk and preventing the rest of the cow from passing therethrough. When the cows come into these stalls, it is necessary for someone to take chains which are attached to the partition and attach these chains to the collar of each individual cow. It is not uncommon for the cows to resist this tethering attempt and consequently it can be very time comsuming, frustrating and disconcerting to both the cow and the person assigned this task. U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,312 to Girton and U.S. Pat. No. 3,123,051 to Berg show this general type of tie stall for cattle.
Another way to confine milk cows is shown generally in U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,735, which shows both the tie stall type of stanchion and the type of stanchion having a pivotable member which allows a cow to place its head therebetween; and once the head is in the feed bunk the member is pivoted over and locked against the neck, the cow cannot remove its head therefrom. The problem with the pivoting member stanchion device is very similar to the problems outlined above with respect to connecting a chain to a collar; that is, when a person tries to close the stanchion pivoting member, it is not uncommon that the animal will remove its head therefrom before such pivoting and locking is accomplished.
Consequently, there is a need to provide structures for saving time, effort and preventing undue disruption of the cattle restraining procedure.